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Women

Pompey Women 10 London Bees 1

Blues run riot on final day of the season

5 May 2024

Women

Pompey Women 10 London Bees 1

Blues run riot on final day of the season

5 May 2024

Pompey Women concluded their title-winning campaign in style with a 10-1 victory over London Bees at Westleigh Park.

Ava Rowbotham, Sophie Quirk and Emma Jones all struck twice, with Emily Pitman, Ella Humphrey, Dani Lane and Nicole Barrett also finding the target.

It was the perfect way for the Blues to wave goodbye to the National League and attention now turns to preparing for a maiden season in the Championship.

Jay Sadler made three changes from the side that dramatically won at Cheltenham a fortnight earlier.

Scarlett Williams was handed a full debut, while there were also starts for Ella Wild and Ali Hall, as Lane, Barrett and Leeta Rutherford made way.

The hosts dominated from the outset and the only surprise was that there were already eight minutes on the clock when the deadlock was broken.

Quirk received possession out on the left and drove purposefully into the box before squaring for ROWBOTHAM to slot home.

And the lively Quirk was involved in doubling the advantage soon after, doing well to stop the ball going out of play, then picking out PITMAN for a close-range finish.

The Blues were in no mood to take their foot off the accelerator and should have been awarded a penalty when Quirk was brought down in the box.

Their appeals were waved away, but it mattered not as the move stayed alive and ROWBOTHAM sent in a cross that drifted into the net.

A fourth goal arrived on 28 minutes and there were no prizes for guessing that Quirk was involved once more.

Her strike cannoned back off the crossbar and HUMPHREY was in the right place to smash the ball into the net.

QUIRK was then finally able to celebrate a goal of her own, twisting the Bees defence inside out before finding the target with a fierce finish.

It might have got even better just before the break, but after good work from Riva Casley and Quirk, a Humphrey effort flashed just wide.

Half Time: Pompey 5 London Bees 0

The one-way traffic continued when the action restarted and Georgie Freeland diverted a Humphrey cross against the post.

Sadler brought on all five of his substitutes as the second half progressed – with three of them going on to add to the scoring.

But it was the already relegated visitors who at least had a small reason to celebrate on the hour mark.

Tyana Nee-Chambers stole possession and burst forward before rolling a shot past Hannah Haughton and into the bottom corner.

That was the cue for Pompey to move through the gears again and they quickly restored their five-goal advantage.

Jones raced away down the left and sent in a cross that was laid off by Daisy McLachlan for LANE to fire home from a few yards out.

Quirk then grabbed another assist, finding space to advance out wide and then teeing-up JONES for a delightful flicked finish.

There was a chance for Hall to add her name to the scoresheet with a header, only for the woodwork to come to the Bees’ rescue.

It looked as though the game was winding down as it entered the final minute of normal time, but the Blues still managed to net three more times to reach double figures.

A shot from McLachlan was deflected into the path of Jones, whose low delivery across the box was turned home by QUIRK.

JONES then grabbed her second of the afternoon, bursting clear and sliding a neat finish past Amber Webber.

And it was BARRETT who wrapped things up with the hosts’ 10th goal right at the death, courtesy of a cross that flew straight into the net.

Pompey: Haughton (c); Collins (Barrett 53), Williams, Casley, Wild; Rowbotham (Lane 59), Hall, Freeland (Rutherford 53); Humphrey (McLachlan 59), Pitman (Jones 59), Quirk

Match Ball Sponsor: Viking Prints


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